32 year old man Abandons Newborn Baby in a Church in India with a kiss

A father kissed his three-day-old child on the head before abandoning it in a church in Kerala, India. The 32-year-old feared being publicly shamed for having a fourth child, he later told police. The moving footage was captured on CCTV and aired on local TV channels in the south-eastern Indian state, reports India Today. He walks away but cannot help but look back at the child he may never see again.

The couple told police they decided to leave the infant as they were concerned about the social stigma attached to having four children. Friends and family had ridiculed Prabitha for becoming pregnant again, the pair told authorities.

The couple were charged under IPC Section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12 years, by parent or person having care of it) as well as the Juvenile Justice Act, Section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child). The baby remains in hospital and is understood to be healthy.